Darkness of the Heart
by Maledictus Chishiki
Summary: The Elements of Harmony are now sealed away, back where they came from. Only a few days later, a new evil stirs, deep within the Everfree. An emotionless being whose only desires are self preservation and to gain knowledge... But what are the reasons for its actions, and is there a way to stop it? Rated T for slightly disturbing scenes, will change to M at a later time.
1. Chapter 1: Mysterious Happenings

A/N: Ha! I have internet at home now, which means NEVER AGAIN WILL MY UPDATES BE DELAYED! This story is rated M for dark themes, violence, occasional language, minor suggestive themes and a clop-chapter or two later on. This story takes place just after the Elements of Harmony were sealed into the tree they came from in early Season 4. The Original Character "Maledictus Darck" is actually my avatar pic, too, so if you so desire go have a look. His first name is a Japanese word which means "A word of magical nature spoken with the intent to bring harm to others", and his "Official theme song" as in the song that I imagine playing in every one of his fights, is "False Awakening Suite" by Dream Theater, which is the single most ominous and intense instrumental song I've ever heard, and I HIGHLY recommend you look it up, as it fits him PERFECTLY. The sound fits the sheer brutality of his combat, the willingness to kill and even the enjoyment he gets out of doing what he's doing. He's not going to stay evil, his 'alignment' will go from 'True Evil' to 'Chaotic Neutral' eventually. Anyways, that's enough of a rant for now… let this story, BEGIN!

Chapter 1: Mysterious Happenings

It was officially, the single strangest thing to happen in Ponyville since Discord's attempt to bring about a world of chaos. Over a period of three hours, two things happened that had everypony stumped and frightened. First, a pack of dozens of Timberwolves came stampeding through the town from the Everfree, but ignored the town and its residents. It seemed as if it was fear that was driving them, as one of them had collided with a pony, but was obviously desperate to get up and keep moving. Secondly, and this is what truly had everypony concerned… a cockatrice had done pretty much the same thing, but it had tried to turn a young filly who got in its way to stone… but instead of the young pony being sealed in stone, the cockatrice was the one who turned into a statue, and then, the statue shattered, effectively killing the chicken-basilisk. This newfound fear of what was going on only increased drastically when Princess Celestia sent word to not just Ponyville, but every town within a hundred miles of the Everfree forest, stating that everyone was to stay in their homes, lock their doors and windows and arm themselves, only to answer their door if the knock was in a rhythm of ones and threes, and that the entire legion of her Sun Guard, the soldiers who were only ever called upon in times of ultimate need, would be sent to the Everfree to try and stop what was happening before it was too late.

Celestia had also sent a much more detailed letter to her newly-crowned student, Princess Twilight Sparkle. In this letter, she made it clear that her Sun Guard would likely fail, and that if Celestia were to go herself, she, too, would fall victim to the ancient evil that was now stirring deep within the expanse of darkness called Everfree. The letter requested that Twilight, along with the others who once wielded the Elements of Harmony, return in two days time to the tree the Elements were returned to and that they try to find a way to safely remove the Elements again and use them not to simply stop this evil, nor change it to good, as in this case both of those things were completely impossible. This time, they were to use the Elements to remove this taint from existence altogether.

It was almost time for the six ponies who had saved Equestria four times to take up the mantle of saviors of Equestria once again. They had agreed to meet at Fluttershy's cottage, as it was both a safe place and close to the Everfree forest. So far, only Twilight, Fluttershy and Applejack were present, and it was over half an hour after their agreed meeting time. Applejack was looking out the window towards Ponyville. She decided to voice her concern. "Where do ya think the others are? It ain't like 'em ta be so late…" Fluttershy slowly walked to the same window and looked out. "I don't know… oh, I hope they're okay…" Twilight let out a worried sigh "Maybe they're in trouble. I guess we should-" She was cut off by a loud crashing sound, followed by a quiet "Ow…" Then another voice giggling. Applejack rolled her eyes, "Looks like RD and Pinkie're here." Fluttershy unlocked the door and let them in, Rainbow Dash was holding her head and Pinkie Pie was bouncing like a rubber ball, as usual. Applejack turned towards the two new arrivals and asked "What took ya so long? We were mighty worried about ya." Rainbow smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, sorry about that. I couldn't find my saddlebag." She gives a half-serious glare at Pinkie, "At least I wasn't late because I was trying to find out how many cupcakes I could fit in my mouth at one time." Everyone else looked at the party-pony, who cast glances at all of them one by one. "What? It's an important question! Oh! I bet you wanna know how many it was, right?" everypony in the room face-hoofed. Just then, a quiet knock came from the door. Rainbow was closest to the door, so she was the one who answered it. There stood Rarity, along with five very large stallions wearing golden armor with Celestia's crest on the helmets, chest-pieces and on both sides. Rarity cast a glance back at them and said "Thank you, gentlecolts. We'll be right out." Then walked in, stopping next to Rainbow, whose mouth was hanging open oin a perfect 'O' shape. "Close your mouth, darling, it's unbecoming and you might catch flies."

Another hour had passed, and now, the Mane Six and the five Sun Guards that were with them were on the edge of the Everfree forest. They all sat there for a time. They could feel it even from here. There was something powerful at work here. Something truly evil, capable of causing the fiercest creatures in this unnatural place to flee in terror. Even the Sun Guards were quaking in their armor. Gathering her courage, Rainbow took a few steps closer and turned to the rest of them. "Let's get moving! The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go home." Everyone nodded. It wasn't much of a speech, if it could even be called that, but it was enough to get them moving. And with that, the ponies entered the darkness to face their destiny… though they didn't know that their fates were soon to become intertwined with that of a darker force, connected to the limitless power that it possesses, and that their lives would be changed forever… especially Twilight's life.

'Once more unto the breach, my friends!' – Shakespeare.

-end of chapter.

A/N: I'm sure you're all wondering just what this story is about… well, it involves this new and ancient evil's past, the future of Equestria, the present life of Twilight Sparkle, and the way that all three of those things will connect and change. This is listed as a Romance/Action story, but that's only because it only lets you choose two genres. It's actually, in order of relevance, Action/Adventure/Suspense/Horror/Friendship/Romance with a little hint of tragedy here and there. Soo you all in the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2: The All-Consuming

A/N: Firstly, due to a name dispute with my friend who goes by the name "Asylum", I've changed both the names of my profile and the main OC in this story to "Maledictus Chishiki" the second word means "Knowledge"… also, Starting right when everypony looks up after the Nova-like explosion, plz listen to the song "False Awakening Suite" by Dream Theater. Also, NONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS DIE IN THIS STORY. The way I'm gonna write this chapter might mislead you readers into thinking one or more of the mane six will die, but I could NEVER bring myself to kill off ANY of them. Except maybe Rarity, but since there's a chance you readers might like her the most, that's not gonna happen. Just had to make that clear. Lastly, the spells the pony-like monster in this chapter uses are Japanese words that have something to do with the spell effects. The first one is Crimson, which is referring to the fact that it affects the way blood flows, specifically in the skin. The second is Decay, which causes the target's flesh to rot away almost instantly. The third is Shatter, which turns the target to stone and then does what the name implies, the fourth is Heal, which is completely self-explanatory.

Chapter 2: The All-Consuming…

The group had only just entered the Everfree mere seconds ago, and they could already see the visible changes. The trees were already intimidating before, but now, there was almost a feeling as if getting too close to them could be lethal… the grass was all dead and even burnt… and worst of all would be what they would discover next.

"How do y'all think alla this happened?" Applejack voices in a hushed tone worthy of Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash tried to feign not being scared, "Who cares? We just gotta get to that tree and get the Elements back, then we can kick whatever did this thing up and down the Everfree!" even she herself wasn't convinced by her strong tone. The group could see sunlight in the next clearing, but just as they approached the tree-line, a quiet but agonized scream came from just on the other side. The six ponies hesitated for a few seconds, but the Sun Guards escorting them didn't waste any time. All five of the highly trained soldiers rushed through the trees in an instant, but almost as soon as they passed the threshold, silence reigned. The Mane Six then quickly but cautiously followed, and saw something that made all of them freeze in their tracks. Every single one of the guards, as well as the origin of the scream they'd heard, were gone. Just… gone. Everypony looked around slowly. An extremely quiet sound, barely audible even in the silence, filled all their ears… the sound of metal colliding with metal. Only half a second afterward, one of the Sun Guards that was with them seemed to materialize out of thin air, almost as if he'd been thrown with extreme force. The large stallion fell in a heap at Twilight's feet, and blood began to pool beneath him. There were three large cuts on his body in the shape of a perfect triangle, placed on his side as if it was a brand. All of them gasped, followed by Fluttershy covering her face with her hooves and repeating "Ohmygoodnesohygoodnessohmygoodness" Over and over as if it was a shielding spell. Another guard then did the same thing again, but he was "branded" with a hexagram. Rainbow had had enough of this. With an angry snarl, she charged into the spot where the guards had appeared from and vanished. Applejack soon followed, calling out a warning about being alone in this place. The others all followed a few seconds later, except for Fluttershy, who was blocking out all outside stimuli to try and forget where she was and what she'd seen.

Twilight was the last to enter the odd "Portal" And found herself standing not in the Everfree forest, but in a place that seemed to be aglow with magic, ancient and powerful. She could hear her friends almost as if they were right in front of her, but they weren't visible. Almost nothing was. Just the figures of four ponies standing, dozens on the ground, and two much larger creatures perched a few dozen meters in front of all of them. "W-why're ya doin' this?! It ain't right… IT AIN'T RIGHT!" Applejack screamed at the beings. The one on the left spoke first, his voice sounded calm to an extent that it was eerie. "It would seem more lambs have come to be slaughtered. I'm so very pleased that you five have come all this way… let us show you the kind of hospitality you deserve." The creature raised its bladed front limb and disappeared, then reappeared behind Rainbow Dash, right in the middle of the group. With three extremely fast yet completely fluid motions, the sound of flesh being rent rang out, along with the athletic pony's scream. The others around them all jumped at the creature, only for it to disappear again and retake its place beside the other. "Maelstrom, why don't we take turns? You can choose whichever you like." The second being, Maelstrom, spoke in a voice that betrayed the malice of its owner. "Very well. Dervish, I must say, these creatures seem weaker than the last few… perhaps we should leave this place and find more of them, perhaps a horde of them would pose something of a challenge?" Before any of them could respond, Maelstrom had done nearly the same thing as Dervish, but appeared right between Rarity and Pinkie Pie. With the same precision and cold purpose, it sliced into both of them at once, and they, too, hit the ground. Twilight stepped up next to Applejack with tears glimmering in her eyes. She chanced glances at all her friends. The injuries were severe, but not life-threatening if they were treated properly. She turned back to the beasts before her, only to find that Dervish was now only a few inches from her. Before she could react, he grabbed her by her throat, lifting her up nearly ten feet off the ground and pulling his arm back, the blade straightening for a precise stab through her forehead. The creature smiled, but this 'smile' was cold, almost as if he was silently taunting her with the fact that her life was now his plaything. Twilight wanted to close her eyes, she didn't want to watch this happen. The blade pulled back and then surged forward, but the sound of metal striking something even harder rang out, then the blade shattered, two shards embedding themselves in Dervish's forearm and shoulder. In that instant, a massive magical explosion with the force of a star going supernova pierced and shattered the darkness around them, throwing Twilight, Applejack and the injured Rarity, Pinkie and Rainbow in one direction, and the two monsters in the other. All of them were coughing up dust and suffering from incredible headaches. All seven of the creatures present looked up almost simultaneously and saw the cause of the violent burst of magic. Floating right where the point the explosion was centered on, curled in a ball, was an entirely new creature, facing towards the two monsters. The being had the combined appearance of a very large earth pony and a stereotypical demon, lots of spines and spikes, horns, sharply pointed and segmented tail, long teeth, and there were even claws on what seemed to be its hooves. It slowly uncurled and stretched, floating slowly to the ground. Its body, which had been purely black, started to glow a blackish-red, and symbols in an ancient and long-forgotten language appeared on nearly every inch of its body, glowing the color of emerald. Upon landing, it raised its head and slowly opened its eyes, which seemed to glow like the hottest magma. It didn't exactly look at either of the creatures in front of itself, simply staring blankly into nothingness. Without moving its mouth, a voice came from the creature, the sound was devoid of emotion, hollow and completely lifeless, with an eerie single-repeat echo. "Kurenai." The instant the word sounded, every other creature present's body was wracked with pain, and a large circle of balance appeared around its hooves, with Yin made of frost and Yang made of flame. Likewise, Dervish's and Maelstrom's legs froze solid to the ground, and the rest of them burst into flames. Screaming as their flesh started to burn, they both tried to struggle but failed to do anything. The creature that caused this intensely powerful magic took slow, menacing strides towards Maelstrom, who was too preoccupied with his pain to notice the being's approach. He finally took notice when the creature raised its clawed hoof and pressed it against Maelstrom's chest, which caused him to scream in ungodly horror and pain. "Hokai." The dead-sounding voice echoed again, and Maelstrom's screams almost instantly ceased, his flesh seemed to rot as if hundreds of years passed in only a few seconds. Turning away from the skeleton of the deceased beast, the entity cast its blank gaze at Dervish, who froze the instant their eyes met. "...Uchikudaku." "NO! PLEASE!" Dervish's body began to crack as if it was made of glass, the fissures in his flesh spreading until his entire body was covered. With one final scream, his body turned to stone and shattered, almost in an identical way as the Cockatrice that had been killed in Ponyville. Observing the many stone shards scattered all around, the being turned towards the group of injured and fearful ponies. With the same slow and intimidating stride, it approached. Twilight's horn glowed with magic and the creature stopped and hesitated, the first time any of them had seen anything akin to emotion on its face was its thoughtful gaze on the aura around her horn. "… You." Twilight's horn flared as a warning. "What do you want?! I don't have time to waste, my friends are hurt and need help, but I'll fight you to protect them!" the being's calculating gaze remained on her for a few seconds before it spoke again. "… friends? Need… help… fighting to… protect?..." After a few more seconds, it spoke again. "Iyasu." Twilight fired a knockback spell at the creature, which struck it in the chest and did way more than Twilight had expected. Instead of simply pushing it away or knocking it down, it was sent flying back almost thirty feet and collapsed in a heap, visible and painful looking cracks had appeared where the bolt had hit. The being started to try to stand, but collapsed back to the ground. Rainbow's voice chimed in, "What did it just do? That nasty cut is gone!" Twilight looked at her fast-flying friend and gasped. In the place where the emblem Dervish had cut into her, the faint glow of healing magic was just barely visible as it faded away. She looked then at Rarity, then Pinkie. The same thing had happened to them, too. Rarity rubbed the length of where the gash in her side was, it still stung, but nothing like when it was still an open wound. "I dare say this creature just saved us, though there's no telling why it would do such a thing." "the reason;" The lifeless voice chimed, sounding like it was on the verge of passing out. "Self preservation. Not mine_. Yours. _I still wonder though… why would you… fight… for…" with a quiet huff, the creature's body went limp as consciousness left it, the emerald green symbols all over its body dulling from brightly shining to dully glowing. None of them knew what to do, this thing had saved all of their lives, and it was obviously now in dire need of help, but it was truly ferocious, intimidating and extremely powerful, though in its current condition it couldn't really do much. Twilight took a single tentative step forward, then felt the same intense fear overtake her and made her retract her hoof. In a blur, a mass of many colors blew past Twilight and the others, stopping right next to the very large beast. "Twilight, we gotta get this thing back to the library! It's out like a light and look at this!" Rainbow pointed at the cracks in its chest, there was a brightly glowing liquid, almost like magma in texture and color, slowly seeping from the wound. Twilight took a slightly less tentative but still cautious step forward, only for Applejack to repeat Rainbow's actions and start trying to heft the creature onto her back. Pinkie and Rarity followed as well, and with their combined strength, but with significant effort, they managed to lift the large creature. Twilight could tell now that it was safe… for now. She stepped in front of the group and turned towards the place they had been told to go, the Tree of Harmony. "Once we get to where the Elements are, I'll use magic to heal it. I still don't like this, though…"

A/N: Chapter 2 is done! I'm sure you've noticed there's not much dialogue in the first two chapters… that changes in chapter 3, which is almost entirely conversations about the creature in question, what the Mane Six plans to do, and how to retrieve the Elements from the Tree. See you in the next chapter!


End file.
